Short answer: Buy Me a Coffee suits online creators: a public page for fans, memberships and a shop, with a 5% platform fee. It is built for online support, not for tips in person. TipIns is made for a QR code on a counter, a car or a guitar case.
Side by side
| TipIns | Buy Me a Coffee | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A tipping app for workers and performers: a personal QR code and tip page, with tips paid to your bank. | Buy Me a Coffee is a creator support page where fans send one-off tips, memberships or shop purchases. |
| Cost of taking a tip | No monthly fee. A 10% platform fee plus card processing (2.9% + $0.30 in the US) per tip, added on top for the person tipping by default, so you receive the full tip. | Help centre article dated 18 Mar 2026: 5% platform fee per transaction, no monthly fee. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction, plus 0.5% for payout processing, and in certain cases +1% for international (outside the US) transactions and +0.5% for subscription payments. Creators can choose whether supporters cover the card fee. |
| What the person tipping needs | No app or account. They scan with the phone camera and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay in the browser. | Not stated in its help centre. |
| QR code | Yes: a personal QR code and link, plus printable signs. | Not stated in its help centre. |
| Where it works | 41 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and most of Europe. | Payouts only in Stripe-supported countries; the help centre list includes the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia (Stripe Standard Connect). |
| Getting the money to your bank | Weekly payout every Friday, free; it usually arrives 24 to 48 hours later. Instant payout: 2% plus a small fixed fee, from 14 days after joining. | Paid to the creator's bank account through Stripe, with a 0.5% payout processing fee. |
| Sharing tips with a team | Yes. A group has one QR code and splits each tip equally or by set percentages, with optional active shifts. | None found. |
| Rules that matter for tips | Built for tips. Stripe checks your identity before you can receive tips. | Built for creators receiving support from fans, not for in-person service tipping. No tip-specific restrictions found. |
Buy Me a Coffee figures are from Buy Me a Coffee's own pages, checked on 20 October 2026; they are US figures unless the row says otherwise. Fees change, so check before you decide.
When Buy Me a Coffee is the better choice
Buy Me a Coffee suits online creators: a public page for fans, memberships and a shop, with a 5% platform fee.
When TipIns fits better
It is built for online support, not for tips in person. TipIns is made for a QR code on a counter, a car or a guitar case.
Using both
Nothing stops you showing two codes. Many workers keep a payment app for regulars and a TipIns code for everyone else. The QR tip jar maker turns any payment link into a printable code.
Sources
- Buy Me a Coffee help: How to calculate charges on your payment
- Buy Me a Coffee help: Supported countries for payouts
Common questions
Is TipIns cheaper than Buy Me a Coffee?
It depends on how you take tips. No monthly fee. A 10% platform fee plus card processing (2.9% + $0.30 in the US) per tip, added on top for the person tipping by default, so you receive the full tip.
Does the customer need Buy Me a Coffee to tip me?
Not stated in its help centre.
Does the customer need an app to tip with TipIns?
No app or account. They scan with the phone camera and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay in the browser.
App Store
Google Play